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Tennis: Former world number one Venus Williams (picture) claimed the 700th win of her career yesterday, beating Germany‘s Julia Goerges 6-4 6-3 in the second round of the Wuhan Open in China. The 35-year-old American became the ninth woman to chalk up 700 victories since tennis turned professional in 1968 but still has a long way to go to catch all-time leader Martina Navratilova (1,442). “I’m glad nobody told me before, I would have been a little bit nervous,” Williams said. “It was a good match, she’s a quality player.”
Rugby Union: France have opted to rest number eight Louis Picamoles and will give wing Remy Grosso his first Rugby World Cup start in the Pool D match against Canada at Milton Keynes tomorrow. Coach Philippe Saint-Andre, having altered almost his whole team for last week’s win over Romania, named a line-up on Tuesday with four changes from the side that beat Italy in their opening match at Twickenham on Sept. 19. Bernard Le Roux will play as openside flanker with Damien Chouly moving to number eight, while in the backs Wesley Fofana keeps his place at inside centre having missed the Italy match through injury and Brice Dulin, fullback against the Romanians, stays in the team as right wing with Grosso on the left.
Cycling: British former world champion cyclist Mark Cavendish is joining the MTN-Qhubeka team, it said yesterday, moving to raise its international profile further after this year becoming the first outfit from Africa to win a Tour de France stage. Cavendish, a charismatic and at times nervy rider who took the green jersey as the Tour’s leading sprinter in 2011, has 26 stage wins to his name. The South Africa-based team, to be known as Team Dimension Data next season, said it was also hiring Australian Mark Renshaw and Austrian Bernhard Eisel, two former teammates of Cavendish who will be tasked with setting him up in the sprints in next season’s races.
Sky Diving: Extreme sports performer Erik Roner died in a skydiving accident near Lake Tahoe, California, on Monday after he struck a tree, authorities said. The 39-year-old Roner was performing with a group during a golf tournament at Olympic Valley when he hit the tree and became stuck high above the ground, Placer County Sheriff Edward Bonner said in a statement. Roner, who lived in Tahoe City, California, was pronounced dead at the scene, Bonner said. All the other performers reached the ground safely.
Cricket: West Indies have suspended Phil Simmons after the coach criticised the selection policy for next month’s tour to Sri Lanka. “The head coach will not now travel with the team on the tour of Sri Lanka. The management has advised that the responsibilities of the head coach will pass to (former test all-rounder) Eldine Baptiste, a member of the WICB selection panel, until the matter is cleared up,” read the West Indies statement. Former test batsman Simmons, who took charge earlier this year, had queried the continued omissions of all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard, saying he was not getting the “best 50-over ODI squad”.
Tour de France: London has declined the opportunity to host the Tour de France Grand Depart in 2017, Transport for London has confirmed. The capital was asked to host the world’s most prestigious cycling race 10 years on from its hugely successful staging of the Tour and three years after hosting a stage finish of the 2014 edition which began in Leeds. Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, said: “We have always said that the return of the Tour was subject to funding. To ensure value for money we must make difficult choices, and on this occasion we have decided that we will not be hosting the Grand Depart in 2017.”